Joshua Chapter 19: Servant Leadership

Verses 1-48: This section sees the children of Simeon, Zebulun, Issachar, Asher, Naphtali and Dan receive their portions of the land. Each division is specifically mentioned and described geographically or by name. 

The theme of the children not driving out all of the inhabitants is not mentioned, but remember, it is still a theme to this book, and we will see the consequences of this in a later chapter. 

Verses 49-51: At last, Joshua is given his portion of the land. There is nothing particularly memorable about these verses and the way they describe Joshua and how he came by his portion. The portion he received, he asked for, and we saw this same thing happen earlier in Chapter 14 when Caleb requested a particular section of land and received it.

The lasting lesson here, however, is that it is Joshua that is doing the asking this time. The leader is making the request. You might expect a leader to come in and pick the best land first. A leader that would do this might think he deserved it, having gotten his army through and taken the land through strong will and good sense. But Joshua’s actions are not those of a typical leader. Joshua makes sure that all of the people are accounted for first, then he asks for land. Joshua’s leadership is one of servanthood. He leads the Israelites by serving them and by serving them in alignment with God’s direction. By leading the people in this way, Joshua is also serving God and leaving behind an exemplary impression of humility and the desire to please God. If I were in Joshua’s shoes, how tempted would I be to take the best land first?

Likewise today, am I all too ready to experience God’s blessings and rejoice in them without taking the time to share the good news with the lost? For I know God has saved me through Jesus’s blood, yet I neglect opportunities to share Christ’s power to save with others.

There is a lot that we can learn from Joshua.